Nancy Pelosi enforcers wobble on Syria

When Nancy Pelosi delivered Barack Obama big victories in the House during his first term — from the passage of a sweeping health care law to a controversial cap-and-trade bill, she relied on a band of her top lieutenants to ensure the caucus held together on the tough votes.

But now, as she tries to rally House Democrats to authorize Obama to strike Syria, her closest allies aren’t squarely in her corner — never mind out shoring up votes.

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Pelosi pushes for action

Boehner stands with Obama

Liberal enforcers like Reps. Rosa DeLauro, George Miller, Zoe Lofgren and Anna Eshoo aren’t on board, at least not yet. And it won’t be easy to convince them, since all four are doves who voted against the Iraq War authorization in 2002.

It makes a tough situation worse for Pelosi, who is already in the unenviable position of needing to win Democratic votes to support her president in a military strike — at a time when her party, and her country, have no desire for another foreign entanglement.

Obama will need the bulk of Democrats to support him in the House, since Republicans have shown little interest in following John Boehner’s lead in supporting Obama.

“No, I have not decided on how I will vote yet,” DeLauro told POLITICO Wednesday after participating in a Progressive Caucus conference call briefing. “I’m going to continue to review the intelligence in the coming week and along with reviewing that intelligence what I’m going to continue to do is listen to the case the administration is making and I want to listen to the debate in Congress and what’s happening at the Senate hearings.”

Hardly considered pro-war herself, Pelosi announced her public support for a U.S. intervention in Syria resolution earlier this week and sent out two “Dear Colleague” missives in an attempt to quell lawmaker concerns and get feedback. Her leadership team has also been calling members.

Pelosi said Wednesday at an event in San Francisco she does not plan to whip a Syria resolution when it comes to the House floor, leaving her to informally inspire Democrats to sign on.

“It’s not anything you whip,” Pelosi said. “I’m not whipping. I’m not persuading on this.”

DeLauro said she has particular concern about how the resolution is worded.

“I will not vote for any open-ended authorization to use force or any other authorization that allows for deployment of troops on the ground,” DeLauro said. “I’m also very mindful of the fact that the use of military force can have, will have ramifications, including unpredictable ones.”

Rep. Rob Andrews (D-N.J.) said he also remains unconvinced.

“I will review all of the relevant intelligence, listen to my constituents and evaluate what is right for the security of the country,” Andrews said in a statement. “I enter this process very skeptical that we should involve our troops in the middle of anyone’s civil war.”

DeLauro and Andrews’s position is emblematic of the trouble Pelosi is having in nailing down what language could garner the majority support of her caucus. Pelosi and her leadership team held a call Wednesday afternoon in which they mapped out a plan to try to take the temperature of her members. Minority Whip Steny Hoyer and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Steve Israel have been calling lawmakers. Pelosi is not calling members.